noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of benefactor
1425–75; late Middle English benefactour < Late Latin; see bene-, factor
Explanation
Every school, museum, and struggling artist is in search for a generous benefactor, or someone to provide the financial means to keep everything running smoothly. The Latin roots of benefactor are bene, which means "well," and facere, which means "to do" — literally, "to do well." A benefactor does well by supporting (usually financially) a person or a good cause. In the old days, a struggling artist or actor might have been supported by a wealthy benefactor. Now, many struggling artists and actors have to rely on waiting tables and other odd jobs instead.
Vocabulary lists containing benefactor
Take the Bad with the Good: Bene and Mal
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Giving Words
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Make Do: Fac
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The health centre has been made possible by the zoo's largest ever gift - from an anonymous benefactor.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
In January, Rourke’s management team set up a GoFundMe to help keep the actor in his home, with his representative Kimberly Hines listed as the benefactor.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
Cuban is facing its most serious economic crisis since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, its principal benefactor.
From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026
Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History began in 1893 but was renamed in 1905, a year before its main benefactor, Marshall Field, passed away.
From Slate • Dec. 20, 2025
Then the woman in the green demon mask pulled my benefactor away before I could give him any word of thanks.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
